bernanke said that independence is key to keeping monetary policy focused on the long-term interests of the american people, and not political whims. >> susie: you've probably noticed that the prices you're paying at the pump are holding steady these days. but can we count on them to stay that way? well, that all depends on what happens to the price of oil. and, as suzanne pratt reports, forecasts for oil prices in 2010 are all over the map. >> reporter: at this gas station in midtown manhattan, gas prices are among the highest in the nation. whether they spike even higher, head lower, or stay in the same range this year depends on who you ask. j.p. morgan's lawrence eagles expects crude prices, which dictate gas prices, to climb higher. that's after averaging between $72 and $76 a barrel in the first half this year. >> moving higher in the second half, up to $88 by the end of the year and moving appreciably stronger in 2011. >> reporter: for eagles appreciably stronger means as high as $100 a barrel. his price predictions are based on a bullish outlook for t global economy. a health